Hosting the Olympics is a massive project for any country, with national pride and prestige at stake. These bare figures bring into focus some of the differences and similarities between recent Olympics.

Many events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in facilities that already exist within the metropolitan area. This will help to keep construction costs much lower than for the two previous Olympics, in London and Rio de Janeiro. At the same time, the games are expected to drive additional demand worth ¥3 trillion (approximately $30 billion) and lead to the creation of some 150,000 new jobs. This anticipated boost to the local economy is likely to be one of the distinctive characteristics of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.